CLEVELAND (November 3, 2008) - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Case Western Reserve University and Gibson Guitar will honor the extraordinary Les Paul with a weeklong series of events culminating in a retrospective of Paul’s life and legacy at Case Western University and an all-star tribute concert at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theater. Artists that have been added to the lineup include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Duane Eddy as well as Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Eric Carmen, Lonnie Mack, and Katy Moffatt.

The concert will also feature Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees James Burton, Billy Gibbons and the Ventures along with Jennifer Batten, Dennis Coffey, Lenny Kaye, Steve Lukather, Barbara Lynn, Alannah Myles, Richie Sambora and Slash. Tickets are $30, $40 and $50 and can be purchased at playhousesquare.org and at the PlayhouseSquare box office (216) 241-6000 or by visiting http://www.rockhall.com. A limited number of Rock Hall VIP event packages (priced at $250 and $500 each) are available by calling (216) 515-1207.

Community partner Cuyahoga County Public Library invites Les Paul’s friends and fans to post and share tributes and stories using the latest technologies by visiting conTRIBUTE at http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/conTRIBUTE/ or http://www.rockhall.com. This partnership with the library allows people near and far to post written, video or photograph accolades and to share their anecdotes about Paul’s impact. The testimonials will be permanently housed in the Rock Hall’s Library and Archives scheduled to open to the public in 2010.

The complete schedule of events for the 13 Annual American Music Masters® series The Wizard of Waukesha: The Life and Legacy of Les Paul includes:

The Rock Hall’s Lauren Onkey and Jason Hanley, and Case Western Reserve Music Professor Mary Davis will introduce the life and career of Les Paul with a multimedia presentation, exploring his extraordinary contribution to music, guitars, and recording technology. This event is free with a reservation. Email
education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Tuesday, November 11 at 7 p.m. – The Gibson Sound: A Night with Henry Juszkiewicz and Special Guest Ace Frehley on the Rock Hall’s Main Stage

Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar, will take the audience through the story of Gibson Guitar, its history and leadership in music innovation while highlighting the company’s more than 50-year history with Les Paul, and the guitar that bears Les’s name. Special guest Ace Frehley will talk about playing guitar and demonstrate some of his signature riffs. This event is free with a reservation. Email
education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP. Wednesday, November 12 at 4:30 p.m. Teachers Rock: Guitars in the Classroom in the Rock Hall’s 4th Floor Theater

Rock Hall educators and a Gibson luthier will talk about the history of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. This informative session is designed for guitar teachers, music teachers and interested educators around Northeast Ohio. This event is free with a reservation. Email
education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Wednesday, November 12 at 7 p.m. - The Les Paul Guitar: An Evening with the Luthiers in the Rock Hall’s 4th Floor Theater

Three of the people who make Gibson guitars, luthiers Michael McGuire, Frank Johns and Ren Ferguson, will take us behind the scenes into the craftsmanship and dedication that goes into building a guitar. The luthiers will discuss the general concept of guitar design and some specific models from the earliest Les Paul solid bodies to current production models. Email
education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Thursday, November 13 at 6:30 p.m. - Film: Les Paul--Chasing Sound! (2007) at Case Western Reserve’s Wolstein Auditorium, 2103 Cornell Road, in the Wolstein Research Building

Les Paul tells his own rags-to-riches story in this definitive feature-length documentary. Featuring a wall-to-wall soundtrack of greatest hits, the film also includes interviews with B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Tony Bennett, Jeff Beck, Steve Miller, and many more. Director John Paulson and producers Glenn Aveni and James Arntz will introduce the film with a discussion of how they crafted Les’s life story, and they will take questions from the audience following the screening. Email
education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Friday, November 14 at 12:30 p.m. -Guitar Clinic, The Case Western Reserve Community Hour at Case Western Reserve University’s Harkness Chapel

Sponsored by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, this hour long program features a live guitar workshop by Jennifer Batten. Batten will discuss her guitar techniques in an interactive multimedia presentation. No reservation required.

Friday, November 14 at 8 p.m. at Wilbert’s in Cleveland – Concert by Webb Wilder and The Beatnecks Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door or in advance at Wilbert’s. Rock Hall members can purchase two-for-one tickets by showing member ID at time of purchase.

Saturday, November 15 from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Rock and Roll Retrospective at Case Western Reserve’s Wolstein Auditorium, 2103 Cornell Road, in the Wolstein Research Building

A reflection on the career of Les Paul and his impact on rock and roll music. Participants include Hall of Fame inductees The Ventures; Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Henry Juszkiewicz, Steve Waksman, Smith College professor and author of Instruments of Desire, Ideastream’s David C. Barnett, producer Bob Cutarella and Robb Lawrence, author of The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy. Tickets are $30 and are available through Ticketmaster and the Museum box office.

Saturday, November 15 at 8 p.m. Tribute Concert at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theatre

This once-in-a-lifetime concert features an all-star line-up of artists who will perform as a tribute to the legendary inventor and musician known as Les Paul. This event also tells the story of Paul’s life and legacy through video and special tributes.

Please visit http://www.rockhall.com for updated information about the concert, the weeklong series of events and for more information about Les Paul. Don’t miss this chance to witness a guitar fest for the ages.

About the American Music Masters® seriesThe American Music Masters® series, a co-production of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University, celebrates the lives and careers of artists who changed the shape and sound of American culture. Each year, the series explores the legacy of one of those pioneering figures in a range of events that includes Museum exhibits, lectures, films, a major conference and a tribute concert benefiting the Rock Hall’s Education Department. Drawing together experts, artists, fans and friends, these events aim to provide new perspectives on some of the most beloved and influential musicians of the past century.

The American Music Masters® series began in 1996 when the museum paid tribute to Woody Guthrie with a 10-day celebration of his life and legacy. Other American Music Masters® series honorees have included: the father of country music, Jimmie Rodgers in 1997; blues legend, Robert Johnson in 1998; rhythm and blues pioneer, Louis Jordan in 1999; the legendary Muddy Waters in 2000; the “Empress” Bessie Smith in 2001; Hank Williams, the first country western superstar in 2002; Buddy Holly in 2003; folk-blues artist Lead Belly in 2004; Sam Cooke in 2005; Roy Orbison in 2006; and Jerry Lee Lewis in 2007. Artists who have performed at American Music Masters® include Solomon Burke, Elvis Costello, Aretha Franklin, Chrissie Hynde, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and MuseumThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, the Museum is open until 9 p.m. Museum admission is $22 for adults, $17 for seniors (65+), $13 for youth (9-12), $18 for adult residents of Greater Cleveland. Children under 8 and Museum members are free. The Museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. When you become a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the world of rock and roll becomes yours to explore. Call 216.515.1939 for information on becoming a member. For general inquiries, please call 216.781.ROCK or visit http://www.rockhall.com .

Case Western Reserve University is among the nation’s leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case Western Reserve is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case Western Reserve offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.

Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities Established in 1996 with a generous gift of endowment from Eric and Jane Nord to celebrate the achievements of the arts and humanities, the Center facilitates cross-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary collaborations that address questions and problems of broad human interest.

About Gibson GuitarGibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar and the Gibson Robot Guitar represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, Baldwin, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at http://www.gibson.com or http://www.gibson.com/press.

About Cuyahoga County Public Library Cuyahoga County Public Library is ranked the Number Two library system in the nation among libraries that serve populations of 500,000 or more. It is the seventh busiest library in the nation with 28 branches that serve 47 communities. The Library’s mission is to provide our community open access to resources that inform, entertain, and enrich. For more information, visit http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org.